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January of 2022 has already produced more COVID-19 cases in Whatcom County than any of the first 22 months of the pandemic, as one in 77 Whatcom residents has tested positive this year, alone. Whatcom County saw another 393 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 52 additional probable cases reported Tuesday, Jan. 10, on the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard. That pushed Whatcom’s pandemic totals to 22,282 confirmed cases and 2,070 probable cases, which result from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test.

As of Tuesday’s data release, which includes epidemiological data through Monday, Jan. 10, Whatcom County has now had 2,978 total COVID-19 cases (confirmed and probable combined) epidemiologically linked to January, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis found. 

That already exceeds the 2,861 total cases epidemiologically linked to December, which was Whatcom’s previous monthly high for the pandemic.

“Where we are now is at a scale like nothing we’ve seen in the past,” Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach said during an online briefing Tuesday afternoon. “It pales in comparison.”